Tired of Being Tired

Intro: Today, Mother’s Day is a very special day of the year. It is a day where we remember and thank Mother’s for the role and influence they have had in our lives. Whether it be a biological or adopted mother, or someone who has acted as a spiritual Mother, we all have been touched and impacted by a mother at one time or another. Being a mom is difficult. I know this because I was once a difficult child. Having to take care of kids, clean the house, work a job, be a wife, on an everyday basis is hard. Demands of everyday ordinary life can be exhausting. How After all feeling tired is an normal human experience. A recent survey showed that Americans spend almost 1500 hours a year feeling tired. Feeling tired or exhausted is the way our bodies tell us that we need rest. In which we reply that we can’t afford to rest. Or ignore it all together. Or try to medicate it by taking caffeine. There is to much work to be done, that rest is usually the last thing on our to-do list. And sooner or later we are destined to burn ourselves out. I remember a time when I did exactly that.

ME: A couple of years ago, I was in Bible College my junior pursing one of the tougher degree programs at my school. That semester I was enrolled in an upper level class with a professor who had been known to challenge his students. Ever since I was a kid I’ve like a good challenge. And this class would be sure to give it to me. It was only a two credit course, but every week or two we would read 200-300 pages worth of content and write a book review on top of other assignments that were do along the way. It only took two weeks for me to realize I had made a big mistake. This course was going to take over the entire semester. And sure enough it did. On one particular evening I found myself working until 3 am in the morning to turn in a assignment that was due at 8am. I didn’t procrastinate. I just didn’t have the time. I was working a part-time job and I had other homework from classes as well. So I had to make a choice, do I sleep or do I get the assignment done. And the assignment won. I was proud though. I was proud of the work I accomplished. I got an A in the class. But the rest of my life was at an F.

The rest of my semester began to fall apart. My physical health had taken a toll, I was exhausted all the time, my eyes were red, and my social life is was non-existent. During this time, my soul’s desire was to spend time resting in God presence, but because school was such a priority, I ignored it, and I put God on the back burner. And yet I carried a lot of shame because of it. I felt like I was supposed to be spending time with God but I wasn’t. I felt like God was disappointed in me. And that I couldn’t do enough. God became another thing on my to-do list that I never seemed to get to. My shame made God out to be like every other burden in my life. God was calling me to rest in Him. But I resisted because I was afraid of letting go of trying to control my life and my schedule. To rest in God mean’t I had to give up the false sense of control that I had become so fond of. And I wasn’t ready to do that.

WE: Maybe you can relate. We work hard in a lot of areas of our lives only to find ourselves on the brink of exhaustion. We work hard in our jobs to get a project done or to prove to our superiors that we deserve the job promotion or the new open position. This could look like doing overtime or picking up extra shifts. Or maybe we work hard in our relationships. Whether it be a friendship or a spouse, we try to work hard to maintain and better the relationship but often we can’t seem to do enough. They just don’t notice or aren’t grateful when we wash the dishes, or take time out of our day to spend with them. We can’t do enough. And because there is so much to do there is no time to rest. We can’t afford to rest. It’s too costly. If we rest then we won’t get the school assignment done, we won’t get the A, we won’t get the promotion, and perhaps our relationships will begin to fall apart if we cannot prove our worth to those we love. Eventually we work so hard that we can’t work any more. We burn-out. We crash. We fall apart. We have a break-down. A mid-life crisis. We can’t do it anymore. We feel ashamed that we were unable to accomplish what was expected of us to begin with. We feel the pressure of life caving in around us. We struggle to keep up with our friends and spend time with our family. Even in our spiritual walk with God we begin to feel like were failures. We say things to ourselves like “I love God, but I know I don’t read my Bible as much as I should.” Shame starts to creep in saying that your not doing enough. That you don’t pray enough. That God must be disappointed in you. Even if you don’t believe it at first, it starts to weigh on you over time. We start to believe that God looks at us like a disappointed Father. Of course we know that God loves us, but he’s probably ashamed of us too because we weren’t able to meet his expectations or meet the mark. Like a child in grade school, we tried to get all five golden stars on our report card, but we only got four. Were probably not one of teacher favorite students.

But what happens when trying harder doesn’t work? We’ve all heard the saying if you don’t succeed try, try again. And many of us do. Humans are pretty resilient at times. If you don’t place in the Olympics it means you need to practice more. If you don’t get the promotion at work, it means you need to work overtime to prove that you deserve it. If you get a B on a test it’s good but it’s not enough. All you need to do is try harder. But where does try harder actually get us. Sometimes it gets the results were looking for, but often times what behind the adage is a great deal of shame. Why do you have to try harder? Because you weren't’ good enough to begin with. Second place is alright, but it’s not the best. We strive for perfection, but almost always fail to meet it. In relationships we strive for affirmation and acceptance, but when we aren’t met with it, we look for ways to prove our worth to those we love, often times at great sacrifice.

In the christian life, it has been said that the past 2000 years of Christians seeking godliness can be summed up in two words, try harder or maybe “be better.” At some point as a child we learned that “b” aren’t enough. That we tried to be good, but failed to do so, and thus started to believe that we at our very core will never be good enough. And when we become a Christian we seek out to show God that we are obedient, that we love him, that we are passionate and on fire for Him. But soon enough, we fall short. And we begin questioning what we did wrong. We begin to equate all of our failed relationships and project them on God. Whenever we sin, we begin to question if God still loves us, and desires a relationship with us. We think that our relationship with God is based on what we do for him or how much we love him. That’s because many of our relationships in our lives are based around the very same metric, but God is different. The world says if were not enough, we need to try harder. God gives us a different answer. In our passage this morning, Matthew 11:28-30, Jesus invites us to rest in his finished work. Jesus is inviting you to rest in his finished work.

GOD: In Matthew 11 starting in verse 28, Jesus extends his invitation to us with three simple words. Come. To. Me. These words are an invitation to the crowds that Jesus was speaking to. Jesus was calling people to come to him. But not just anybody. There was a specific kind of characteristic that was embodied by the people who he invited to come to him. He invitation is specifically to all who are weary and burdened. Those who were exhausted by the weight of their load and the demands of life. And what happens if they accept Jesus invitation, He says “I will give you rest.” Come to me all who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest.

Have you ever been invited to something, maybe it was a wedding or a birthday party. How do you feel when you receive the invitation. At first we feel important and valued by who ever invited us to the event. And then a certain feeling of anxiousness sets in as we realize that our calendar is already packed full. But in this passage, Jesus invites those who are weary and burdened to rest, not more work. He doesn’t tell them that they aren’t working hard enough, or that they need to work harder. He simply says come to me if your tired and I will give you rest. But Jesus doesn’t stop there, he continues. He says “Take my yoke upon you and learn from me. for I am gentle and humble in heart and you will find rest for your souls.” A yoke is a wooden piece that goes over the necks of two animals to pull a plow or some other piece of machinery. Simply put a yoke is a tool used to put an animal to work.

Wow wow wow. Wait a minute Jesus. You just said that come to me and I will give rest, what’s this about work. And what’s this about learning from you. What do I need to know that I don’t know already? You promised rest Jesus, but if I’m being honest this just sound like more work. I know what it sounds like but Jesus promises rest so hanging there for a minute, and will get to the bottom of this.

After Jesus tells us to take his yoke and learn from him, he gives us insight to his very nature, his very being, his heart. Jesus tells us that he is gentle and lowly at heart. This is the only place in Scripture that Jesus tell us who he is at his heart, at the very core of his being. Gentle and lowly. Jesus is not harsh or above us, but rather Jesus came down in the form of a servant to be with us. For Jesus to be gentle and lowly at heart, means that Jesus is accessible and available. In Jesus, God has made himself accessible and available to all those who are weary and burdened. Jesus associates himself the most with those who are weary and burdened. So much so he invites them to come to him. Why? Because he is gentle and lowly in heart. Jesus is inviting you to rest in his finished work.

“And you will find rest for your souls.” When we think of soul, we typically think of the spiritual side of our being. When we think of our body, we think of the physical side of our being. But here soul encompasses our whole being. Our whole life will find rest when we come to Jesus. This isn’t just our desires or our physical body finding rest in Jesus, but the very core of our being finding rest in it’s creator. Rest from our striving and working for salvation. God’s rest is a gift that we receive and not something that we have to work for. He simply says come to him, and if we do, he promises to give us the rest our souls have been deprived of. But that proposes a different question: How is taking upon Jesus’ yoke/work suppose to lead to rest for my soul?

Jesus explains the work he has for us, he explains the characteristics of the yoke that he calls us to carry. He says “For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

How can a yoke be easy and a burden be light? Honestly this passage might make more sense if you it read “come to me all who are lazy and idle, and I will give you more work.” But it doesn’t. Instead, Jesus promises all who are weary and heavy burden that if they come to him they will find rest. He invites them to take upon his yoke, his burdens, his work, which is characterized as being light and easy. Jesus isn’t saying that he will help carry the burdens of those who come to him, rather he asking them to come to him and leave behind their old burdens, way of doing life, their old work, their old habits, to find rest from their exhausted and busy lives and accept a new kind of work that is light and easy, but fulfilling and joyful in nature. Jesus doesn’t say that he will help you carry your yoke and your load, but rather he says that if you take his work, it will be easy and light. Not only that, in his work you will find rest. Jesus is inviting you to rest in his finished work.

Jesus did not come into the world to tell people that they are not working hard enough, or that they need to work harder. He came into the world to propose a new way of doing life. One that is established on what Christ has already accomplished on the cross. When Jesus said it is finished. He meant it is finished. Jesus did the work that we could not accomplish to give us the rest that we do not deserve. He took upon the weariness and burdens of the world. He took upon our yoke, our burdens, our shame and carried them to the cross, so that we wouldn’t have to carry the weight of sin any longer. He came to give us rest from our hopeless striving and meaningless toil. And it is only in relationship with Jesus that we can begin to find rest in this life and completely in the life to come with God in heaven. Jesus invites you to rest in his finished work.

Suit Case Illustration: Our Work v.s. Jesus Work

Two suit case one that says “our work” and the other “Jesus Work.” The one with our work is full to the brim with junk and our stuff, but we are tired and exhausted from carrying it. Sometimes we think that the gospel is adding God to the load but were wrong. The gospel is giving our suit case full of work to God and carrying the work that Christ has already finished on the cross. It’s easy and light. Not because we aren’t trying to prove ourselves to God or others. We are no longer in control and were not really sure what’s going to happen next, but we can trust that God’s plan is better than ours.

You: What does it look like for you to accept Jesus’ invitation to rest in his finished work? If your not a Christian, then it’s accepting jesus invitation. It’s possible that you find yourself this morning very tired from the expectations of everyday life. Of trying to hold it all together and trying to stay in control. But Jesus is inviting to rest from your work and rest in his finished work. The only thing you have to do is accept the invitation. Jesus like drinking a refreshing bottle of water in the heat of a day. Once you taste the water on your lips, you begin to question how you ever went so long without him. Accept the invitation this morning. Find rest for your soul. Jesus doesn’t say life isn’t going to be full of difficulties. In fact the world is full of them. But Jesus said take heart because he has overcome the world. With Jesus, you will begin to find purpose and joy as you follow his calling for your life. Jesus’ yoke is light and easy. Stop trying to do things the hard way and accept Jesus invitation. Jesus is inviting you to rest in his finished work.

If you are a christian this morning, then maybe you find yourself in a similar but different situation. You remember back to the first time you met Jesus and how freeing that experience was. You felt the relief from all your troubles and worries. But over time everything started to pick up speed again. Your calendar got full. Work became busy, you had more family responsibilities to attend to. And every time you get a second to breath you realize just how tired you are. Not just physically, but your soul has been deprived of what it needs the most, Jesus. Maybe you feel guilty that you haven’t spent time with God lately, but God doesn’t care about that. God cares about you, not what you do for him. This week instead of focusing on everything that you haven’t been doing lately in your relationship with God, just let Jesus be enough. Let his grace be enough. God already loves you. Rest in God’s presence and the reality of the cross. The reality of what Christ has already done on your behalf to give you rest. Just be with God, even if it’s only 5-10 minutes, just sit with him and in his love for you. You are his child, and he wants you to know the love he has for you. So don’t rest in your own works, rather rest in Christ’s finished work. Jesus is inviting you to rest in his finished work. Take 5-10 minutes to be in God’s loving presence this week. This isn’t about doing something, it’s about just “being” with God.

WE: Imagine what it would like like in our church and relationships if we began to rest in Christ’s finished work rather than our own? If we began to accept God’s purpose for our lives rather than doing our own thing. I think we would be a lot less tired for one and a lot more joyful. We would begin to spend time doing things that truly matter in the kingdom of God. Maybe that means settling for a few B’s here and there. Not striving for perfection, but rather striving for God knowing that Christ has already won the victory. If we begin resting in Christ’s work, we might even be freed to work harder, find joy in what we do, no longer working to prove ourselves to others or God. Work becomes a privilege and a blessing, not a burden and a obligation. Jesus changes everything. He changes the our heart and attitude towards work, it’s no longer about us. It’s about God and loving on other people. Once we rest in Christ’s work, we will begin to serve others and spend time with people who we used to view as burdens and will begin to see them as blessings. Our co-works will notice our new work ethic. Our to-do lists will be less about our agenda and more about God’s agenda to love on the people God has placed in our lives. Our families will notice how we less busy doing things for them and more busy spending time with them. We will go out of our way to serve total strangers, and leave them wonder why? And through it all we will point to Jesus’ finished work on the cross for the reason we serve the way we serve. It’s no longer about us. Jesus is inviting you to rest in his finished work. That’s an invitation you’ll want to accept.